Tour in and around Panchmarhi

I am going Pachmarhi in a couple of weeks time, and I have only booked tickets to get to the destination. I would like to now how many days would be required to visit Panchmarhi and the places around it. I would then be able to book my return tickets as well.

Three days should be enough for your Panchmarhi trip. The places to visit around Panchmarhi are Jadashankar and Jambudweep. A cycle tour is recommended if the weather allows it. Total duration of trip should be five days.

Pachmarhi is the only hill station in Madhya Pradesh. Another name for it is "Satpura Ki Rani" as it is situated in the Satpura Range at about 3,500 metres above sea level. The population of this little village is under 10,000, many of the people here are connected to the Army in the area. Here are some of the attractions around Pachmarhi:

Peaks

Priyadarshini or Forsynth Point - It was Captain Forsyth that discovered this point, hence the name. Apart from that, this is also where he discovered the village of Pachmarhi and so it became the retreat place for the British soldiers. The Handi Khoh Gorge can also be viewed from here. The peaks of the Stapura region are also seen from here, which are best viewed during the sunset.

Handi Khoh Viewpoint - This is a 300 feet high ravine, which has steep sideways. The story goes that the Lord Shiva killed the evil snake that used to guard this place. As a consequence, the lake here dried up and the empty space looked like an empty pot, so called Handi, hence the point got its name from that.

Dhoopgarh - This is the highest point in the Stapura Range at about 4,429 feet. This is a great spot for viewing the sunset and the sunrise.

Waterfalls

Jamuna Prapat - This is also named as the "Bee Falls." The name comes from the buzzing sound that the falls make. This is also the main water supply of the village. For the adventurous people, they can walk through the rocks and stones passing through the falls. Otherwise, swimming here can also be a great activity.

Rajat Prapat - This is also known by the name "Big Fall" or "Silver Falls." You can also walk through the stones and rocks here to reach the peak of the falls.

Jalawataran - You can trek to reach the base of one of the cascades of this falls, also known by the name "Duchess Falls." It's a challenging trek though and if you're not up for that, you can swim in the lower part of the falls, which would be safer.

Apsara Vihar - This also goes by the name "Fairy Pool." Since the British ladies used to bathe in here, the locals would peep through the woods and see them. They were regarded as being so beautiful and fair, that the locals used to call them the Fairy Queens, thus the name Fairy Pool came to be. The water here is deeper near the falls and shallow by the end, making it a great place for swimming. Some families enjoy having a picnic here.

Vanashree Vihar - Because this falls are surrounded by trees, it's cooler and shaded in here. You can escape the heat of the sun by swimming in its cool waters.

Irene Pool - It was Irene Bose who discovered this place hence the name. There's a route upstream here which leads inside a cave and then cascades into the falls outside.

Sunder Kund - Also goes by the name "Saunder's Pool" which crosses the Duchess Falls' stream.

Caves

Jata Shankar Caves - As the name suggests, the rocks in these caves resemble Lord Shiva's hair. The Jambu Dwip stream also originates from these caves. Everything around this cave is related to the Lord Shiva.

Pandava Caves - This is where the Pandavas seek shelter after their exile. Apart from that, the Buddhist monks also resided in here during the 1st Century.

Reechhgarh - This is the home to several bears, hence the name Reechhgarh. This is also a natural amphitheater with a cave-like entrance.

The Cave Shelters - Some of these Cave Shelters include: Harper's Cave, Dhuandar, Bharat Neer, Asthachal and Jambu Dwip. You can find several paintings inside all of these cave shelters.

Others

Satpura National Park - The terrain of this park is extremely rugged and diverse consisting of gorges, ravines and forests. There's a wide biodiversity of animals here including leopards, tigers and dholes.

Bison Lodge - This was constructed by Captain Forsyth in 1862. It has been converted into a museum now, with maps, models and pictures of the ecosystem in the region.

Mahadeo Hill Shrine - You can find a shrine of Lord Shiva in the Mahadeo Hill. Along with that, there's an impressive Shivalinga in here as well.

Tridhara - This is a popular picnic spot in the region. The unique thing about this picnic spot? Two streams meet in the intersection here.

Christ Church - This was built in 1875 by the British. It has stained glass panes and a hemispherical dome on top.

Catholic Church - This was built in the year 1892 by the British. It is a blend of Irish and French styles of architecture. You can also find a cemetery near the church with graves as old as 1859.

You can cover these places in three days time as they are not that far from each other. But if you can extend your stay at least 5 days, then you can throughly enjoy and explore Pachmarhi.